Sunday, June 8, 2008

The question is: When did you last complain about the weather?

Do you know David? He blogs here, lives in Australia, travels everywhere, and his second novel is about to be published. Did I mention his photography? One of the things he does to get the rest of us thinking is poses a question every week for bloggers to blog about and let him know. He calls it Weekend Wandering, and he makes us think.
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So, did you see the question up there? That's the one for this week. It may be on his mind because it's coming into winter in Australia and the weather is beginning to remind him of it.
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Here, however, it is coming into summer. Two weeks till it starts officially and the weatherman the other night said that our meteorological summer had already begun. And believe me, at school, students and staff alike are beginning to act like they are already on summer vacation.
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So, when did I last complain about the weather?
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I! don't! complain! about ! the weather!
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Now if you think that is what I was doing here or here or here, then you are sadly mistaken. Those were not complaints, they were commentary.
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If you think that just because this was our meteorological summer view of Mt. Rainer on Friday when we were there camping:

...and that this is the view of it from *down the road a bit from us* today, that I am complaining, then you are sadly mistaken. I was commentating.

There is always weather to talk about if you live in a rural area. And to do something about, like this cherry grower is doing:
Cherries ripen near the end of June in this area. The weather at the end of June is always questionable. Rain can change many plans then. And rain can devastate a cherry crop when it is near harvest. The fruit just sucks up that wonderful moisture and swells--and then bursts its skin. As much as 1/2 to 3/4 of a crop can lose its value almost overnight. The wind machines that provided frost protection (weather!) in the early spring are sometimes turned on to blow dry the cherries. Helicopters are sometimes called in to do the same.
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BTW, that is a view of Mt. Adams in the distance beyond the orchard, the valley, and the foothills. Mt. Adams, where it was rainy on Friday but you can see how it is today. What a lovely view!
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Now that I might complain about because I did have to go *down the road a bit* to get these views because this is our new view of Mt. Rainier from our yard. See it there--behind a pole to the left of a tree.

So complaining about the weather does no good whatsoever. Commentary! That's the thing! With commentary you can say almost anything! Because it's commentary--not complaints.
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And what good does it do to complain about the weather anyway? As illustrated above, wait a day and it will change. In fact, wait about five minutes.
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And so, even though the group campsites at Cougar Rock looked like this on Friday when we scouted them out...

...I'm going to go make our reservation for three weeks from now when the kids come to camp!
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Weather!
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Can't live with it ~ can't live without it!

10 comments:

david mcmahon said...

Lovely shots, accurate commentary on the vagaries of the weather, loved the fruit-growing perspective - and if you want four seasons in one day, come to Melbourne!

maryt/theteach said...

Katney, it's too hot here (NYC) to even talk! 98 degrees, yesterday, I don't know what today! AC running, costing me a fortune! I don't care! TOO HOT!

Cath said...

Yes Katney I am with you 100%!! I will learn to use that phrase "commentary". Covers a multitude of sins and I can *comment* all I like then!
Thank you. Excellent post. Well written and beautiful views. It's just a shame the hops hide your view now. It was such a lovely view...

Lilli & Nevada said...

we finally got some warm weather today

Amrita said...

Complainign just weares you out because its so hot and humid but right now we are having rain.

Maggie May said...

Well that was a good one! Loved the photos.You are lucky to live in such a beautiful place! And you don'y moan about the weather!

Anonymous said...

Personally, I'm hoping the snow is still at the campsite when we get there. I will need it. A last minute trip to Vegas this weekend has us "commentating" about upcoming weather in our household.

-"The weather in Vegas is supposed to be in the mid 70's while we're there" [23-24 C]

--"Really? That's not too bad."

-"Yeah, but that's mid 70's for the low..."

For someone who wears shorts and no sleeves when it gets up to 60 (16 C), I'll be "commentating" a lot as I melt in the desert.

Katney said...

Yeah, but we don't want the Arizona contingent to melt.

Anonymous said...

The Arizona contingent may dissolve if it's raining at the campsite, but if it's hot enough for them to melt, I'm going home...

Sandi McBride said...

Oh, okay, you don't complain about the weather? Well I suppose that's very smart since there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it, huh? Loved the post...especially the pictures of snow they cooled me down
Sandi